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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · arm · branch · patient · wave · present · chest · saw

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. object — to protest
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — the time now
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. object — an aim
  18. present — a gift
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. object — a thing
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com